Case Number 04194

Under Pressure

Every purchase you make through these Amazon links supports DVD Verdict's reviewing efforts. Thank you!

All Rise...

The Charge

Everyone has a breaking point.

Opening Statement

"I'm Charles Sheen, not Charlie Sheen, and I'm PISSED
OFF!"

Facts of the Case

The movie drops us in the middle of a twelve-alarm fire. The blaze has swept
through a home, consuming all in its clutches. Everyone, that is, except for ace
firefighter Lyle Wilder (Charlie Sheen, or "Charles" as headlined on
the disc). Undaunted by the inferno, Lyle charges into the home and emerges
cradling a child. Because of his heroic rescue, Lyle is immediately elevated to
poster-boy status for the L.A. firefighters.

But behind that winning smile and the shiny medal, L.A.'s bravest is
actually a few spots short of a Dalmatian. Living alone, divorced, and
perpetually disgruntled, Lyle's only purpose in life is to creep out his
neighbors, the suburban-stereotypical Bravertons.

The family knows not to interact with Mr. Congeniality, but accidents
happen, and when an errant radio-control airplane crashes through Lyle's bedroom
window, the fit hits the shan.

Lyle storms over his property line to chew out the kids and effectively
freak mom (Mare Winnington) out. She notifies her concerned husband, Reese
(David Andrews), and the Bravertons suddenly find themselves in a cat and mouse
game with their deranged neighbor.

Meanwhile Lyle is playing his own game, be it wreaking mayhem on a hapless
refrigerator repairman or dodging the inquisitive looks of the police or just
brutalizing people with an axe.

Make no mistake: this is a crazy-ass-neighbor flick.

The Evidence

And as such, it's on the formulaic side. Sheen does a pretty good job
conveying his bastard aura, quoting mangled scripture, and doing a whole lot of
scowling. He is able to project a slow-burn throughout the film (hence the
title, renamed from the original 1997 Bad Day on the Block, which just
sucks). When the pressure finally breaks through he gets to have fun flipping
out. The unfortunate result of which is a wheelbarrow full of genre
clichés.

On the other end, the Bravertons fill their stereotypical roles well: dad
frowns and plays tough, strong-arming Lyle, mom does a lot of shouting and
crying (that is, until her inevitable epiphany of lethal force), and the kids
wax a mixture of naïveté and fear.

The best way I suppose to describe the movie is as a relatively decent
exercise into the paint-by-the-numbers psycho-neighbor genre—with some
notable exceptions.

First, some more details of Lyle's firefighting bravery are revealed later
in the film, and offers an interesting twist. Second, though this is primarily a
psychological thriller and Lyle is more of a screw-with-your-head-whackaroo,
there is a fairly jolting helping of violence; Lyle not only talks the talk but
walks the walk as well. Beyond that, don't expect many surprises with Under
Pressure. It's better than most direct-to-video releases, but comparison to
anything above that is out of the movie's league.

The disc is barren—full frame (in a sub-par transfer), no special
features, but a 5.1 mix that shines the most in the opening fire scene. After
that, it's just threats and banter. Oh, and a surprisingly well-mixed
radio-controlled airplane scene. Gosh, it was like the plane was flying around
my living room!

Okay, I need a life.

Closing Statement

For just-above mediocre fare, Under Pressure dishes it out. Just go in
with your "WOW-ME factor" at level 2 or so.